Repsol posts major gas find in Algeria

MADRID, April 10 (UPI) -- Spanish energy company Repsol announced it tested a natural gas well in Algeria at the rate of 8.2 million cubic feet per day.

Repsol said it discovered a 160-foot column of natural gas in the Sud-Est Illizi block near the Algeria border with Libya, the Financial Times reports.

The company made a similar discovery in the same area in November, though its test rate was about half of that from the latest find.

Algeria has the 10th largest gas deposits in the world and is the third-largest supplier to Europe. Its exports have been in decline, however, because of lagging foreign investments, the newspaper reports.

Militants sympathetic to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb stormed the In Amenas natural gas facility in eastern Algeria in January. Foreign workers with BP and Norwegian energy company Statoil were among the dead in the attack.

Algerian Energy Minister Youcef Yousfi said at an energy conference in Houston in March that his country maintains a strong position as a leader in the development of natural gas despite January's terrorist attack.

United Press International is a leading provider of news, photos and information to millions of readers around the globe via UPI.com and its licensing services.

With a history of reliable reporting dating back to 1907, today's UPI is a credible source for the most important stories of the day, continually updated - a one-stop site for U.S. and world news, as well as entertainment, trends, science, health and stunning photography. UPI also provides insightful reports on key topics of geopolitical importance, including energy and security.

A Spanish version of the site reaches millions of readers in Latin America and beyond.

UPI was founded in 1907 by E.W. Scripps as the United Press (UP). It became known as UPI after a merger with the International News Service in 1958, which was founded in 1909 by William Randolph Hearst. Today, UPI is owned by News World Communications.